The present disclosure is directed generally to an air conditioning pack (“ACP”), and more specifically, to an inertial particle separator for an ACP.
Air cycle machines (“ACMs”) are used as part of ACPs for processing a pressurized air source, such as bleed air from a gas turbine engine of an aircraft. ACMs compress air in a compressor section which is discharged to a downstream heat exchanger and further routed to a turbine. The turbine extracts energy from the expanded air to drive the compressor. The air output from the turbine is utilized as an air supply for a vehicle, such as the cabin of an aircraft. ACMs are used to achieve a desired pressure, temperature, and humidity in the air that is transferred to the environmental control system of the aircraft to provide cooled air to the aircraft cabin and cockpit.
The ACM rotative assembly is typically supported by one or more bearings that heat up during operation of the ACP. In order to cool the bearings, a cooling flow is passed from a J-tube connected to the air cycle machine and is directed to the bearings for cooling. Fine particle contamination and water ingress into the ACM bearing cooling circuit can cause damage to the bearings, degrade bearing capacity, and contribute to premature failure of the ACM.